Remembering, looking for justice

Next week, LGBT and ally communities across the globe will come together to pay tribute to those who’ve lost their lives to hatred.

International Transgender Day of Remembrance, marked Nov. 20, shines a light on the victims of anti-transgender violence, putting faces to what is often a faceless epidemic. By sharing the individual stories, the community can take steps to heal their personal losses but also open eyes about what it means to be transgender and mobilize to eliminate the ignorance and fear that leads to such violence.

Philadelphia’s LGBT community will stage its own activities to mark the occasion next week, which will undoubtedly be rife with memories of victims such as Stacey Blahnik and Kyra Cordova, two transgender women murdered in the city in the past two years, or Nizah Morris, whose death nearly 10 years ago remains a mystery.

Morris may be remembered for the unbridled energy she exuded whenever she took to a stage, Blahnik for the guidance she gave to the youth in the ballroom scene and Cordova for the fighting spirit she exhibited on behalf of herself and her community. Sharing personal memories of all three can be a healing tool for the loved ones left behind and can show the rest of the community that these three women meant much more than their murders.

Remembering the victims should also spur action. Awareness-building is and will be a gradual process. But immediate movement can and should be taken for these three, and the multitude of other, transgender victims whose killers have yet to be brought to justice.

The police department needs to be held accountable for its investigations. Even though the Morris case is nearing its 10th anniversary, have detectives looked into every possibility? Even though the Blahnik case appears to be stalled, what other avenues can investigators try to get information? Even though there is a reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of Cordova’s murderer, what else can the police be doing to find the killer? These questions need to be asked, and need to be asked repeatedly.

The mainstream media should also feel the pressure. Will they run stories to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Morris’ death? Did they cover the candlelight vigil marking the second anniversary of Blahnik’s? Will they be there when the first anniversary of Cordova’s murder comes around in September? Again, these questions need to be asked for movement to happen.

The LGBT community has never been one to forget or back down from an issue, so it shouldn’t forget or back down from getting answers in these three cases. When their stories are shared Nov. 20, it is important that those remembrances are not solely introspective, but rather used to motivate and mobilize for justice for those who’ve passed, and for the safety of those yet to come.

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